"That's a blessing knowing what it is, but the downside of that is more than likely he's lost for eight weeks. That's what we are planning on and will adjust off that," general manager Dan O'Dowd told The Denver Post.

Given where the Rockies are right now, Tulowitzki's absence will give them time to see what the future holds with some younger players and veterans.

When the two-time All-Star first went down, the organization didn't believe that it was as serious of an injury as it has proved to be. Upon evaluation, Tulowitzki was given a rather unusual diagnosis, according to the Rockies' Twitter account:

#Rockies Tulo injury: Hockey/Baseball Pitcher Syndrome is a type of athletic pubalgia or core injury to his left groin region. Con't

Athletic pubalgia is essentially a sports hernia. It is caused by constant twisting and turning at high speeds, so it's no surprise that a player with as violent a swing as Tulowitzki is dealing with it.

This is definitely bad news for the Rockies' playoff chances, as the team doesn't know when its franchise player will return:

There is no time table set for Tulowitzki's return. #Rockies will provide more updates following the surgery.

Tulowitzki is one of the top young shortstops in the league, but he has lost plenty of time due to injury in the past. He missed 40 games in 2010 thanks to a wrist injury and 61 games in 2008 due to multiple injuries.

The Rockies, who are 1-9 in their last 10 games, sit at 25-41. Trailing the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers by 16 games, Jim Tracy and company are going to have an even tougher time climbing the ladder without their star shortstop.

Prior to going down less than a month ago, Tulowitzki had hit eight home runs and driven in 27 RBI while posting a .287 batting average in 47 games.

The rest of the season didn't look bright for the Rockies even when Tulowitzki was in the lineup. The pitching staff has been the Achilles heel for the team, as they have posted a collective ERA of 5.38, by far the worst in the league.

The hitting—as it usually is at Coors Field—has been a bright spot thus far. The lineup has scored the fifth-most runs in the league and boasts the seventh-highest batting average, but those numbers will take a hit with Tulowitzki presumably missing a substantial chunk of time.